Adware is a program that delivers web-based advertisements, often bundled with free downloads and difficult to detect or uninstall. Adware detection programs can identify and eliminate it, preventing privacy concerns and potential gateway for malicious content. Spyware and viruses are also types of malware that can be detected by adware detectors. Users should be cautious when downloading adware detectors from unverified sources.
Adware, also known as advertising-supported software, is a class of computer programs that coordinate the delivery of Web-based advertisements. Often bundled with free or inexpensive software program, ringtone, or music downloads, adware it is often downloaded and installed without the user noticing. It is usually very difficult to ascertain whether adware has been installed, and uninstalling it is usually even more difficult. An adware detection program can simplify the process. It is a software program designed to identify and eliminate adware programs that lurk surreptitiously on computers.
The purpose of adware is to serve advertisements, either through pop-up ads or sponsored web ads on the sites visited by the infected user. Usually, nothing dware itself is particularly harmful, but it can raise privacy concerns. Some adware programs include potentially privacy-invasive software that logs users’ online movements in order to serve advertisements related to commonly visited sites. An adware detection program will detect and stop this web tracking and can put an end to pop-up ads that can disrupt a user’s website experience.
The likelihood that adware could be a gateway for other, more malicious content is also a major concern. Adware is usually stealthily bundled as an automatic download within legitimate downloads. It therefore follows that spyware and viruses could be grouped similarly within the adware program. While the adware itself is not harmful, it may have brought with it a whole host of malicious applications. Most adware detection programs are designed to identify every part of the downloaded adware package: spyware, viruses, everything in between.
Spyware is a software program that looks a lot like adware at first glance, but instead of tracking your web usage to serve ads, it tracks your web usage to collect personal information. Many spyware programs include keylogger applications that track and record every letter a computer user types. This can reveal data about website visits, the contents of emails and usually passwords too, often to sensitive sites such as online banking accounts. Viruses have similar capabilities and use a variety of nefarious means to access sensitive content to proliferate on other computers.
The main goal of any adware detection program is to root out and eradicate malware. Spyware, adware and viruses are often collectively referred to as malware. Once installed, the adware detector will detect adware by scanning your computer’s hard drive, examining your Internet browser site’s registry, and reviewing all recent downloads.
Adware detectors are commercially available from many antivirus vendors. Many standard antivirus programs actually come with adware detectors already installed. Adware detection software can also be downloaded from many websites, but downloads, especially free ones, should be approached with caution.
Before downloading an adware detector, users should ensure that they research its source. It is important to examine the sponsoring site to be sure it is legit. While many legitimate adware detectors can be downloaded online, not all detectors are created equal. It is not uncommon for a rogue website to offer a free “adware detector” which basically only serves to further infect the computer it is downloading. In the world of free downloads and big promises of instant malware detection, if something is too good to be true, it might be.
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